Modern transport aircraft generally use hot bleed air from the engines, among other things for airconditioning the cabin. To this effect, hot-air supply pipes lead from the engines to the cabin. These hot-air supply pipes comprise warning wires for the detection of any leakages. Usually this sensor line is a coaxial cable with a centre conductor and a sheath containing thermally sensitive eutectic salt as an insulation material. If at any point along the length of the measuring wire strong heating occurs as a result of a leakage, the resistance of the eutectic salt within the heated section drops and ensures that current starts to flow between the outer sheath and the centre conductor. This short circuit is then measured by way of a control unit. Nowadays a bridge-type measuring method is commonly used for precisely locating the leakage and for improving the servicability of the system.
However, such a bridge-type measuring method, i.e. locating a leakage by way of a measuring bridge, requires an expensive design of the sensor line. Since the length of the sensor lines, for example in a large passenger aircraft, can be substantial (up to 400 m), this leads to a considerable system weight and to considerable expenditure.
Moreover, such a twin-conductor cable with a centre conductor and sheath comprising thermally sensitive eutectic salt can only be used for a temperature threshold which corresponds to the material properties of the eutectic salt. Changes in this temperature threshold value can only be made within very narrow limits and then require costly development, e.g. to develop a corresponding new salt. Accordingly, with this known solution it is not possible to set the temperature threshold value without incurring substantial expenditure.